Cooler Master Hyper 612 PWM and GeminII S524 Review

Introduction:

Cooler Master is a manufacturer of many different computer components that I've always enjoyed working with. Over the many years of its life, Cooler Master has developed hundreds of different products from computer cases, processor heatsinks, power supplies, and even some dabbling in laptop cooling. We all know of its incredibly popular HAF case series and Hyper series coolers. Regarded as probably one of the best, if not THE best, bang-for-your-buck heatsink out right now is the Cooler Master Hyper 212+. It can be had for under $30, and performs better than just about every other mid-range cooler on the market. A couple of weeks ago, Cooler Master launched its newer, bigger version, the Hyper 612 PWM. It still features a single 120mm fan design and 6mm heatpipes, however, in the Hyper 612 PWM's case we find that Cooler Master added two extra heatpipes to the mix, along with other optimizations. In this roundup, we'll be exploring those improvements very closely. Along with studying the Hyper 612 PWM, I'll be checking out Cooler Master's GeminII S524 cooler, which is a high clearance low-profile cooler. Many may choose a heatsink such as the GeminII S524 in order to clear tall memory modules. On top of the high "ground" clearance, it can be oriented over the memory modules to provide airflow from the large 120mm or optional 140mm fan — keeping more than just your CPU cool.

I can say that I've never been disappointed in a Cooler Master heatsink, so I have to say that my expectations for these two coolers are high. I don't doubt that I'll definitely be satisfied, but with Cooler Master's reputation it might be hard for me to be hit with a surprise (of course, that's a good thing!). Anyways, in this review I will be combining the evaluations of two of the latest heatsinks from Cooler Master — its Hyper 612 PWM, the newer, bigger sister to the Hyper 212+, along with the new GeminII S524. I will present an in-depth look at both coolers, from their exterior features and construction to an intense benchmarking session to determine their performance relative to other coolers on the market. Without any more jibber-jabber, I'll get started!

Closer Look:

At first glance, we see the package for the Hyper 612 PWM and GeminII S524 flying the standard Cooler Master colors of white, teal, and purple. Both boxes, as well as just about every other heatsink box from this manufacturer, sport these same colors and are unmistakeable as belonging to Cooler Master. The GeminII S524 box is a much different shape from that of the Hyper 612 PWM, for good reason. The size and shape of each cooler differs, and thus are packaged differently. However, both show the same information. Each box has the Cooler Master logo on the front along with an angled view of each cooler and its model name. The left sides of each box show numerical specifications, such as dimensions, weights, materials, and other tabulated points. The right side is a plain picture of the cooler without any extra information. The rears of the boxes list a few features in several different languages. Among these features, in general, are things that make each cooler different. For example, the Hyper 612 PWM is a massive 6-heatpipe cooler with extra large fin spacing to accommodate extra airflow and the GeminII S524 offers a unique shape to clear motherboard components and cool other heat-producing components besides the CPU during operation.

Inside each box, both heatsinks are packed similarly. There is an accessory box, reading material (warranty card, owner's manual, etc), the heatsink itself, and the fans are secured inside of a foam sandwich. Both heatsinks arrived in perfect condition, had no fingerprints, no bent fins, etc. Cooler Master did an excellent job with packing and handling these coolers. Looking at the install/mounting kit, it appears that these coolers use the typical Cooler Master mounting which is very simple for both AMD and Intel setups. Complex mounting systems are usually clumsy and troubling to install, so it's nice to see that there are manufacturers that still hang on to the K.I.S.S (keep it simple, stupid) principle!

With these two coolers open and ready to go, I will begin taking a closer look at the features they offer and my opinions on each. So far, I can already tell that the Hyper 612 PWM looks like it can be a winner since it's based off of the Hyper 212+. I'm still not 100% sure of the GeminII S524 due to its size, but it's got all of the required concepts and it should still contain the Cooler Master quality that I expect!